Méhul’s Le jeune sage et le vieux fou : Adapted English Translation

Étienne-Nicolas Méhul’s Le jeune sage et le vieux fou is a one-act comic opera. Debuted in 1793, this work has since fallen out of regularly performed repertoire. This project seeks to provide a performable English translation that respects the original context and comedy of the opera, yet adapts the story to add equal color and depth to the female roles. At its conception, this project required a transcription of the Revolutionary to Modern French to better captured the original meaning, meter, and comedic intent of the libretto. Further research and consideration of historical context proved crucial to informing any adaptive decisions, providing insight into the ironic comedy and gender writing. After this, the English translation could be refined to modernize the female roles with respect to the nuances of the period. In this, the feminist lens inherent to this project will only enhance the opera’s artistry as it does not undermine the flipped paradigms that create the comedy. In setting the historically- and equality-conscious translation, this project will account for vocal ease, at times modifying the rhythmic content of the original setting to best fit the new language of the libretto. In this, the finalized operatic translation should increase the work’s accessibility for student singers and function as a period study without sacrificing the dignity of treble voices. Alongside the development of the full translation and adaptation of Le jeune sage et le vieux fou , this project will include a paper providing detailed context for the translating and text-setting process